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03 January 2016

Review: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens

Christmas time is the perfect time to read A Christmas Carol and Penguin's clothbound edition of A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings is a joy to behold on the shelf and in the hand.My admiration for the writing of Charles Dickens began after reading Oliver Twist, I was interested to see if this classic would live up to my expectations. I'm pleased to report that it did.It's hard to believe that an author's work from more than 160 years ago can still warm the heart and tantalise the mind, yet here it is. Dickens has the most incredible ability to describe his characters in the most entertaining fashion that I wanted to read sections aloud just to share the brilliance of his writing.The following quote was my favourite though and appeared on page 87:

"If you should happen, by any unlikely chance, to know a man more blest in a laugh than Scrooge's nephew, all I can say is, I should like to know him too. Introduce him to me, and I shall cultivate his acquaintance."

I'm not quite sure what it is about the quote, but perhaps I'm drawn by the idea of cultivating one's acquaintance and how magical it seems. How 'of the times'.I thoroughly recommend A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings to readers of all ages to be enjoyed in November/December, although it can - in truth - be enjoyed at any time of year.My rating = ****Carpe Librum!For more about Dickens, read my 5 star review of Oliver Twist, or my 3 star review of Great Expectations.